Agenda and draft minutes

Up to 15 minutes are allowed for public participation.  Participants are restricted to 3 minutes each.

The Chairman welcomed Councillor Graham Prestwood, Chairman of Hemswell Cliff Parish Council, and invited him to address the Committee. Councillor Prestwood thanked the Chairman and the Committee and made the following address.

“Since moving to Hemswell Cliff in 2011 and joining the parish council, I've seen many significant changes in our village. Throughout this time, West Lindsey District Council has provided unwavering support for which both the parish council and I are extremely grateful. Around a decade ago, I had a conversation with a dedicated West Lindsey District Council officer who is sat not too far away about trying to create a normal village. This was met with a strange look, but she embraced it and has supported us ever since.

What the MOD left us was nothing like a normal village, but over the years dedicated councillors have worked hard to improve things and we are now seeing real progress. We have established council owned play parks, green spaces, allotments, sports facilities and have put in place a neighbourhood plan. These achievements were made possible through collaboration between the parish council, Hemswell Residence Company, West Lindsey District Council and have significantly contributed to the transformation. Yet challenges still remain.

To address these we have developed to community improvement proposal, which we hope you've all had time to read. We feel this proposal is the final step in achieving our vision. With footpaths linking all areas and skirting the green space, we can foster community cohesion.  New seating will create inviting spaces for people to gather, socialize, play, and enjoy their surroundings. Lighting at the ballpark will extend its use all year round, benefiting the local and wider community. Currently, our footpath network is inadequate. With few drop kerbs, this is an outdated remnant of the MOD era, but in today's world this is unacceptable. Our soon-to-be open community room at the Broadcast Engineering Museum exemplifies this issue. Accessibility for disabled individuals, the elderly and parents with pushchairs is hindered by the need to walk down the road or rely on vehicles.

Never before has our village come together quite like this. A competition for the school children to design a litter picking post has sparked a movement: ‘Make Hemswell Cliff Glitter’. The community, businesses, the parish council, the broadcast engineering conservation group and Hemswell Residents Company have all pulled together and the results are amazing. People are stepping up like never before. I'm currently blessed with a very proactive and passionate group of councillors. Since launching this proposal we have already added over £8,000 worth of extra facilities and we have just secured £20,000 from the lottery to support our £100,000 FCC communities bid to upgrade the play parks.

With your support we can complete this final push and perhaps one day we won't need to refer to Hemswell place to live. We urge you to support this vision in every way possible. Thank you chair, councillors for your time and consideration.”

The Chairman thanked Councillor Prestwood for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 56.

To confirm and sign as a correct record the Minutes of the Meeting of the Prosperous Communities Committee held on Tuesday, 28 January 2025

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the Meeting of the Prosperous Communities Committee held on 28 January 2025 be confirmed and signed as a correct record.

Members may make any declarations at this point but may also make them at any time during the course of the meeting.

There were no declarations of interest.

Setting out current position of previously agreed actions as at 10 March 2025

With no comments, questions or requirement for a vote, the Matters Arising Schedule, setting out the current position of previously agreed actions as at 10 March 2025, was DULY NOTED.

The Chairman again thanked the speakers and members of the public who were in attendance at the meeting, and invited the Communities Manager to introduce the report. Members heard that the effective use of Council funding had enabled positive progress in supporting the Hemswell Cliff community. Local resources had been unlocked and funding from the Council had supported securing other external funding. The Parish Council had developed a Community Investment Proposal to develop their large village green, having consulted with residents and taken their views into account. The school children had named the slogan ‘Make Hemswell Cliff Glitter’ and villagers were already seeing signs of change. Local businesses had also been supportive of the plans and had invested in some benches.

It was explained that the Community Improvement Proposal was split into phases of work, with some phases already completed or underway. The Committee was being asked to approve a further spend from the Hemswell Cliff Investment for Growth capital budget in order to support further works listed within the report.

Members of the Committee reiterated their ongoing support for the community and expressed their admiration for the community spirit and transformation of the village. Officers involved in the area, Shayleen Towns and Grant White, were thanked, as was Local Ward Member Councillor Paul Howitt-Cowan. The Chairman expressed her wonderment at the enthusiastic involvement of the local school children and the proof of what impact communities could have when they worked together. The Parish Council was also praised for setting the standard to which other areas should aspire.

With fervent thanks to all involved, admiration for the achievements over recent years, and unanimous support for the current proposals, the recommendation contained within the report was proposed and seconded. The Chairman took the vote, and it was

RESOLVED that the spend of £95,042 from the existing Hemswell Cliff Investment for Growth capital budget be approved to support works listed in Option 1 of the report, that being:  

•      Phase 2 - £38,257 (ballpark lights & path only)

•      Phase 3 - £20,000

•      Phase 4 - £20,000

•      Phase 6 - £16,785

The Committee gave consideration to a report presented by the Economic Growth Team Manager who explained that the purpose of the paper was to provide a detailed update regarding the STEP fusion programme and the work that the council and wider stakeholder cohort had, and were, undertaking to support the programme. The paper considered the programme’s next steps and the ongoing enabling activity required to ensure that the forecast economic benefits the programme could deliver, would be realised in West Lindsey and the region more broadly. Members heard that significant programme progress had been made since the council’s formal involvement in the programme commenced in 2023. This had been made possible through a range of different activities, delivered (or in-delivery) through the continued direction of the STEP Strategic Collaboration Group and included:

·         the STEP Economic Impact Assessment;

·         the Trent Valley Clean Energy Super Cluster Vision (TVSCV);

·         the STEP Base Year Traffic Model;

·         Skills Programme development; and;

·         Community and Business Events and Communications

The programme would continue to evolve during 2025 at both strategic and operational levels, including elements of enabling work more specific to West Lindsey.

Discussions between Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire local government representatives had already taken place in 2025 to explore how the next phase of enabling works should be organised to ensure ongoing geographic collaboration and benefit realisation. More programme management and commissioning discussions would take place during the spring.

It was highlighted that the Economic Impact Assessment and visioning work was feeding into the development of the Strategic Growth Priorities for the emerging Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority. Discussions had been initiated as to how the required package of enabling works would be organised and funded to ensure that Lincolnshire was able to contribute to supporting the delivery of STEP and maximising the predicted local benefits.

The Officer concluded that as well as the activities undertaken as a collaborative project partner, in order for West Lindsey to realise the longer term opportunities and benefits identified through the delivery of the programme(s), the council would need to prepare a STEP vision for Gainsborough. The ‘STEP Investment Plan’ would position Gainsborough as a thriving hub of innovation, clean energy and advanced manufacturing, leveraging the proximity of West Burton and the surrounding supercluster to drive economic and housing growth, attract investment and create high-quality jobs for decades to come.

In response to a question from Vice Chairman Councillor T. Young regarding infrastructure improvements required to enable growth, it was explained that transport planning was at a very early stage, however, in working on modelling the flow of traffic across the region, it was considered there would be supporting evidence for a new bridge to be built across the River Trent. Agencies would work collaboratively regarding the options in the future.

Members of the Committee were unanimously supportive of the improvements and opportunities which would arise from the programme and welcomed the council’s continued involvement.

Having been proposed, seconded, and voted upon, it was

            RESOLVED that

a)    the programme  ...  view the full minutes text for item 61.

The Committee heard from the Head of Corporate Policy & Strategy who provided an update on the progress of the Humber 2100+ project and timeline, including the endorsement of Step 1, ‘Understand the Risk’. It was explained that over the previous couple of years, the Humber 2100+ Partnership Project had established a robust and collaborative approach to the collection and assessment of evidence from a range of sources, including key stakeholders to understand the risks. The partnership had worked to improve public understanding of the future challenge posed by climate change to the area. This had included setting up a dedicated ‘storymap’ website about the project (http://arcg.is/u1rPj), producing tailored communications materials and running an awareness campaign tied into the Environment Agency’s ‘Flood Action Campaign’.

The project had also piloted the use of a ‘Community Panel’ to seek public views to inform the development of the project. The panel ran during April 2024 and involved a group of 19 people who were recruited to from a demographic cross section of the area. The panel heard evidence from a range of witnesses and then worked to develop recommendations in response to the question ‘What should we take into account in plans to manage tidal flood risk in your area?’. These recommendations would be used to inform the partnership’s approach to developing different ways to manage tidal flood risk, both now and in the future. Wider learning from the panel process would also help to shape ongoing engagement with those living and working around the Humber as the project progressed.

Members heard that the Humber 2100+ Partnership Project continued to work collaboratively in the development of the Humber 2100+ strategy. It was acknowledged that the project was extensive in terms of both time and geography, and was also extremely technical. However, being a part of the Project Team meant the council was able to influence and shape the outcomes to support a prosperous and sustainable district.

Over future months the project team would start to scope the next step, looking at the principles of tidal flood risk management. It was generally accepted by all that current approaches alone, including building higher and bigger barriers, would no longer offer the protection required and as such Step 2 would look at other methods and opportunities. Further project updates, including officer and member workshops with the Environment Agency would be arranged in due course, aligned with the project timeline, and further information on public consultation would also be provided in due course.

With thanks extended to Councillor L. Rollings for her role in the project, Officers invited comments from the Committee.

Members acknowledged the project was a long-term project, with specific technical aspects and many different avenues of consideration. In echoing thanks to Councillor Rollings and the Officers involved, it was proposed that the recommendations within the report be accepted.

With no requirement for a vote, the contents of the report, specifically the Humber 2100+ project update; the indicative timeline and steps included;  ...  view the full minutes text for item 62.

With no questions or comments, the work plan was DULY NOTED.